MVP Playthrough: Defeating Monsters In A Single Scenario

by Alex Johnson 57 views

This article discusses the Initial Full Playthrough MVP (Minimum Viable Product), focusing on completing a single scenario by defeating two monsters. This milestone is designed to establish core gameplay functionality, including exploration, turn-based actions, combat, win/loss conditions, and clear player feedback. Elements like replay flow, scenario selection, UI polish, and treasure/encounter mechanics are intentionally excluded to maintain focus on the fundamental experience.

Goal: Core Gameplay Loop

The primary goal of this MVP is to create a functional and engaging core gameplay loop. Players should be able to start a scenario, explore the environment, engage in combat, and achieve victory or defeat. This involves implementing the essential mechanics required for a basic game session, laying the foundation for future features and enhancements. By focusing on simplicity and core functionality, the development team can ensure that the fundamental gameplay experience is solid before adding more complex elements.

Key Objectives

  • Implement a Single Fixed Scenario: To simplify the development process, the MVP will feature a single, pre-designed scenario. This eliminates the need for a scenario selection system and allows the team to focus on perfecting the core mechanics within a controlled environment.
  • Achieve Victory by Defeating Two Monsters: The victory condition for the scenario is set to defeating two monsters. This straightforward objective provides a clear goal for players and allows the development team to concentrate on implementing the core combat mechanics.
  • Exclude Treasure and Encounter Cards: To streamline the MVP, treasure cards and encounter cards will not be included. This reduces the complexity of the game and allows the team to focus on the fundamental mechanics of exploration, combat, and turn management.

Scope and Changes from Previous Plans

To ensure a focused and achievable MVP, several changes have been made from previous plans. These changes aim to simplify the scope of the MVP and allow the development team to concentrate on the essential gameplay elements. By limiting the scope, the team can deliver a polished and functional core experience, setting the stage for future expansions and additions.

Key Changes

  • Single Fixed Scenario: The MVP will include only a single fixed scenario. This eliminates the complexity of implementing a scenario selection system and allows the team to focus on perfecting the core gameplay within a controlled environment.
  • Victory Condition: Victory is achieved by defeating two monsters. This straightforward objective simplifies the win condition and allows the development team to concentrate on implementing the core combat mechanics.
  • Exclusion of Treasure and Encounter Cards: Treasure cards and encounter cards are not required for the MVP. This reduces the complexity of the game and allows the team to focus on the fundamental mechanics of exploration, combat, and turn management.

Must-Have Issues

Several critical issues must be addressed to achieve a functional and engaging MVP. These issues cover the core mechanics of the game, including combat, turn management, win/loss conditions, and basic player abilities. Addressing these issues is essential to creating a solid foundation for future development and ensuring a positive player experience.

Core Mechanics

  • #26 Defeat Monster and Gain XP: This issue focuses on implementing the mechanics for defeating monsters and awarding experience points (XP) to the players. It includes the implementation of monster defeat mechanics and the display of XP earned by the player.
  • #24 Hero Attacks Monster: This issue addresses the core hero attack and combat mechanics. It involves implementing the ability for heroes to attack monsters, calculating damage, and resolving combat outcomes.
  • #25 Monster Attacks Hero: This issue covers the mechanics for monsters attacking heroes during the villain phase. It involves implementing monster attack behaviors, calculating damage, and resolving combat outcomes from the monster's perspective.
  • #32 Complete Turn Cycle: This issue ensures that the turn cycle functions correctly, rotating between the hero, exploration, and villain phases. It involves implementing the flow of the game turns and ensuring that each phase is executed in the correct order.
  • #33 Party Defeat: This issue addresses the losing condition and the display of the defeat screen. It involves implementing the logic for determining when the party has been defeated and presenting the appropriate screen to the player.
  • #34 Win Adventure: This issue focuses on the victory logic for the scenario. It must support the win condition of defeating any two monsters and display the appropriate victory screen to the player.
  • #29 Use Healing Surge: This issue implements the basic party recovery and healing surge consumption mechanics. It allows players to use healing surges to recover health and manage their resources.
  • #59 Characters Cannot Walk Through Walls: This issue addresses a critical bug that allows characters to walk through walls. It involves implementing collision detection to prevent players from exploiting this bug.
  • #60 Map Always Fully in View: This issue ensures that the map is always fully visible to the player, regardless of screen size or resolution. It involves implementing basic viewport and scaling functionality to maintain a consistent view of the game world.

Additional Work for MVP

In addition to the must-have issues, some additional work is required to ensure a polished and engaging MVP experience. This includes clarifying the scenario objective and ensuring that end-of-game messaging is clear and informative. These additional tasks contribute to the overall quality of the MVP and enhance the player experience.

Enhancements and Clarifications

  • Update #34 (Win Adventure): Clarify and minimize the scenario objective to “defeat any two monsters.” This ensures that the victory condition is clear and easily understood by the player.
  • Ensure Clear End-of-Game Messaging: Implement clear and informative win/loss screens. This provides players with immediate feedback on their performance and enhances the overall sense of accomplishment or defeat.

Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criteria for the MVP define the standards that must be met to consider the milestone complete. These criteria ensure that the core gameplay mechanics are functional, the game is stable, and the player experience is satisfactory. Meeting these criteria is essential for delivering a high-quality MVP that serves as a solid foundation for future development.

Key Criteria

  • Players Can Win by Defeating Two Monsters: Players must be able to achieve victory by defeating two monsters in the scenario. This verifies that the core combat and win condition mechanics are functioning correctly.
  • All Turns/Phases and Combat Flows Work End to End: The turn cycle, phases, and combat flows must function smoothly and without errors. This ensures that the core gameplay loop is engaging and free from interruptions.
  • Walls & Map Scaling Bugs Addressed: Bugs related to characters walking through walls and map scaling must be resolved. This ensures a stable and visually consistent gameplay experience.
  • Victory and Defeat Are Clearly Communicated: The victory and defeat conditions must be clearly communicated to the player through appropriate screens and messages. This provides players with immediate feedback on their performance and enhances the overall sense of accomplishment or defeat.

Out of Scope

To maintain focus and ensure the timely delivery of the MVP, several features and mechanics are intentionally excluded from the scope. These elements, while valuable, are not essential for the core gameplay experience and can be implemented in future iterations. By excluding these elements, the development team can concentrate on perfecting the fundamental mechanics and delivering a polished MVP.

Excluded Features

  • Replay/Restart Flow: The ability to replay or restart the scenario is not included in the MVP. This feature can be added in a later iteration to enhance replayability.
  • Scenario Selection: The ability to select different scenarios is not included in the MVP. The MVP will feature a single fixed scenario to simplify the development process.
  • Treasure Reward and Encounter Mechanics: Treasure reward and encounter mechanics, including cards and decks, are not included in the MVP. These elements can be added in future iterations to enhance the game's depth and complexity.

Conclusion

The Initial Full Playthrough MVP represents a crucial milestone in the development of the game. By focusing on core gameplay functionality and establishing a solid foundation, the development team can build a compelling and engaging experience. This MVP ensures that players can complete a single scenario by defeating two monsters, providing a clear path to victory and a satisfying gameplay loop. While features like replay flow, scenario selection, and treasure/encounter mechanics are intentionally excluded for this stage, they remain important considerations for future development. This focused approach allows for a polished and functional core experience, setting the stage for future enhancements and expansions. For more insights into game development best practices, you might find valuable information on websites like Gamasutra. This resource offers articles, blogs, and forums covering various aspects of game development, from design to programming.